Apparatus for Cushioning a Platform of a Treadmill

ABSTRACT

A treadmill includes a base, two rollers, a platform, a belt and two cushions. The base includes two longitudinal bars. The rollers are supported on the longitudinal bars. The platform is located between the rollers. The belt is wound on the rollers and the platform. Each of the cushions includes a cushioning strip supported on a related one of the longitudinal bars for cushioning the platform.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a treadmill and, more particularly, toa treadmill equipped with an apparatus for cushioning a platform on abase.

2. Related Prior Art

As disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,441,468, 5,279,528, 5,454,772 and5,599,259, a treadmill is often equipped with an apparatus forcushioning a platform on a base. A user running on the platform isprotected from excessive impacts by the cushioning apparatus. Such acushioning apparatus includes a plurality of rubber pads providedbetween the platform and the base conventionally. Such rubber pads arehowever inadequate to absorb impacts exerted on a user's ankles, kneesand spine by the platform when the user walks or runs on the treadmill.

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at leastalleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide atreadmill with a cushion for effectively cushioning a platform on abase.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the treadmill includes a base, tworollers, a platform, a belt and two cushions. The base includes twolongitudinal bars. The rollers are supported on the longitudinal bars.The platform is located between the rollers. The belt is wound on therollers and the platform. Each of the cushions includes a cushioningstrip supported on a related one of the longitudinal bars for cushioningthe platform.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention willbe apparent from the following description referring to the attacheddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of twoembodiments referring to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a treadmill equipped with two cushionsfor effectively cushioning a platform on a base in accordance with thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cushions shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cushion shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial, cross-sectional view of the cushionshown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cushion in accordance with thesecond embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is shown a treadmill 20 equippedwith two cushions 30 for effectively cushioning a platform 21 on a base10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. Thebase 10 includes two longitudinal bars 11 secured to at least onecrossbar 12 by welding for example. Each of the cushions 30 is locatedin the vicinity of a related one of the longitudinal bars 11.

The treadmill 20 further includes two rollers 22 and a belt 23. Therollers 22 are supported on the longitudinal bars 11. The platform 21 islocated between the rollers 22. The belt 23 is in the form of an endlessloop wound on the platform 21 and the rollers 22. A section of the belt23 is forced to slide on the platform 21 as a user walks or runs on thesection of the belt 23.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, only one of the cushions 30 and a relatedone of the longitudinal bars 11 will be described. It should however benoted that the cushions 30 are identical to each other while thelongitudinal bars 11 are identical to each other. The cushion 30includes a contact element 40 and a cushioning strip 50. The contactelement 40 includes a planar upper face 41, an arched lower face 42 andtwo walls 43. Each of the walls 43 includes an arched edge extendingparallel to the arched lower face 42.

The planar upper face 41 of the contact element 40 is in contact with alower face of the platform 21. Two screws are driven in the contactelement 40 through the platform 21, thus securing the contact element 40to the platform 20.

The cushioning strip 50 may be made of fibers by weaving. Alternatively,the cushioning strip 50 may be made of a plastic material or rubber byinjection molding. The cushioning strip 50 is bent and thereforeincludes a bent portion 52, two ends 51 and two overlapped portions 53each extending between the bent portion 52 and a related one of the ends51.

The bent portion 52 of the cushioning strip 50 is wound on a block 13secured to the longitudinal bar 11. The overlapped ends 53 of thecushioning strip 50 are sandwiched between a plate 56 and the cross bar12. The plate 56 is secured to the crossbar 12 by a screw 55. Thus, theends 51 of the cushioning strip 50 are secured to the crossbar 12. Now,the cushioning strip 50 is supported on the block 13 and the crossbar12. The cushioning strip 50 extends parallel to the longitudinal bar 11.

Two auxiliary elements 54 are secured to the longitudinal bar 11. Theoverlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50 are supported on theauxiliary elements 54.

Referring to FIG. 4, only one of the auxiliary elements 54 will bedescribed. It should however be noted that the auxiliary elements 54 areidentical to each other. The auxiliary element 54 is a bent rod thatincludes a first section and a second section, with an acute angledefined between the first and second sections. The first section of theauxiliary element 54 is partially inserted in the longitudinal bar 11.Moreover, the first section of the auxiliary element 54 is in contactwith the overlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50. The secondsection of the auxiliary element 54 is abutted against the longitudinalbar 11. The first section of the auxiliary element 54 extendshorizontally for keeping the width of the overlapped portions 53 of thecushioning strip 50 horizontally. The second section of the auxiliaryelement 54 extends in an inclined manner to well support the firstsection and hence the overlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50.With the auxiliary element 54, the tension in the cushioning strip 50 isincreased.

The overlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50 are locatedbetween the walls 43 of the contact element 40. A distance of the archedlower face 42 of the contact element 42 from the arched edge of each ofthe walls 43 is longer than the thickness of the cushioning strip 50.Thus, the overlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50 are keptbetween the walls 43 of the contact element 40. That is, the cushioningstrip 50 is positioned relative to the contact element 40.

Referring FIG. 3, when the user walks or runs on the belt 23, he or sheexerts impacts on the platform 21 through the belt 23. The impacts aretransferred to the overlapped portions 53 of the cushioning strip 50through the contact element 40. The impacts are substantially absorbedby the cushioning strip 50 while the length of the cushioning strip 50varies.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is show a cushion in accordance with thesecond embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment isidentical to the first embodiment except for three things. At first, acushioning strip 60 is used instead of the cushioning strip 50. Thecushioning strip 60 is an endless loop with two bent portions 61 and twooverlapped portions 62. Secondly, an additional block 13 is used and thescrew 55 and the plate 56 are saved. That is, two blocks 13 are attachedto the longitudinal bar 11. Thirdly, two auxiliary elements 70 are usedinstead of the auxiliary elements 54. Each of the auxiliary elements 70is a short tube connected to the longitudinal bar 11. Each of the bentportions 61 of the cushioning strip 60 is wound on a related one of theblocks 13. One of the overlapped portions 62 of the cushioning strip 60is supported on the auxiliary elements 70 while the other one of theoverlapped portions 62 of the cushioning strip 60 is in contact with thecontact element 40.

The present invention has been described via the detailed illustrationof the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can derive variations fromthe embodiments without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. Therefore, the embodiments shall not limit the scope of thepresent invention defined in the claims.

1. A treadmill including: a base including two longitudinal bars; tworollers supported on the longitudinal bars; a platform located betweenthe rollers; and two cushions each including a cushioning stripsupported on a related one of the longitudinal bars for cushioning theplatform.
 2. The treadmill in accordance with claim 1, wherein thecushioning strip extends parallel to the related longitudinal bar. 3.The treadmill in accordance with claim 1, wherein the base includes atleast one crossbar connected to the longitudinal bars.
 4. The treadmillin accordance with claim 3, wherein each of the cushions furtherincludes a block attached to the related longitudinal bar, wherein thecushioning strip is supported on the crossbar and the block.
 5. Thetreadmill in accordance with claim 4, wherein the cushioning strip isattached to the crossbar at an end and attached to the block at anotherend.
 6. The treadmill in accordance with claim 4, wherein the cushioningstrip is bent and therefore includes a bent portion, two ends, and twooverlapped portions each extending between the bent portion and arelated one of the ends, wherein the ends of the cushioning strip aresecured to the crossbar, wherein the bent portion of the cushioningstrip is wound on the block.
 7. The treadmill in accordance with claim6, wherein each of the cushions further includes a screw for securingthe ends of the cushioning strip to the crossbar.
 8. The treadmill inaccordance with claim 7, wherein each of the cushions further includes aplate secured to the crossbar by the screw, wherein the ends of thecushioning strip are sandwiched between the plate and the crossbar. 9.The treadmill in accordance with claim 4, wherein each of the cushionsincludes two auxiliary elements attached to the related longitudinal barand located between the crossbar and the block, wherein the cushioningstrip is supported on the auxiliary elements so that the tension in thecushioning strip is increased.
 10. The treadmill in accordance withclaim 9, wherein each of the auxiliary elements is a bent rod formedwith a horizontal section inserted in the related longitudinal bar andan included section abutted against the related longitudinal bar. 11.The treadmill in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the cushionsfurther includes two blocks attached to the related longitudinal bar,wherein the cushioning strip is supported on the blocks.
 12. Thetreadmill in accordance with claim 11, wherein the cushioning strip isan endless loop wound on the blocks.
 13. The treadmill in accordancewith claim 12, wherein each of the cushions includes two auxiliaryelements attached to the related longitudinal bar between the crossbarand the block, wherein the cushioning strip is supported on theauxiliary elements so that the tension in the cushioning strip isincreased.
 14. The treadmill in accordance with claim 13, wherein eachof the auxiliary elements is a tube connected to the relatedlongitudinal bar.
 15. The treadmill in accordance with claim 1, whereineach of the cushions further includes a contact element formed with aplanar upper side attached to the platform and an arched lower face incontact with the cushioning strip.
 16. The treadmill in accordance withclaim 15, wherein the contact element further includes two walls formedthereon for restraining the cushioning strip.
 17. The treadmill inaccordance with claim 16, wherein a distance from the arched lower faceto the edge of each of the walls is longer than the thickness of thecushioning strip.